Southern Literature Definition Essay

What is southern literature? That is the question. To me southern literature means exactly what it implies, stories about people and places in the southland, their traditions, and what makes them unique. Scholars from the Athens Regional Library define it in the same way as myself saying, “Southern literature (sometimes called the literature of the American South) is defined as American literature about the Southern United States or by writers from this region.” An American novelist, Pat Conroy, was once quoted saying, “My mother, southern to the bone, raised me up to be a southern writer, but it wasn’t easy.” Everyone experiences struggle at some point in his or her life. However, it is believed to be how one handles the situation that truly …show more content…
This time period is especially significant in the south because it symbolizes a dark time after the Civil War. Most literature written during this time was some sort of historical romance. This genre of writing glorified the heroism of the Confederate Army. According the encyclopedia that is specific to Alabama, historians describe the Lost Cause as a movement with three phases: bereavement, celebration, and finally, vindication. The bereavement period began directly after defeat and followed all the way through reconstruction in 1877. Next was the celebration phase. Finally, some positive light breaking through the darkness! The encyclopedia of Alabama says that the Confederate celebration expanded in the 1890s, as the South became a fertile breeding ground for the foundation of new Confederate organizations. Lastly, vindication, defined in the dictionary as “justifying, proving, or reinforcing an idea.” I believe this was the most crucial part in creating a new “normal” for the southern states and moving forward into the next era. The most famous literary work from this period is Margret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind. Other recognizable works include items like Birth of a Nation and most of Mr. William Faulkner’s